Grocery trip without list turns to chaos
"'You've never bought lima beans a day in your life,' my husband will say after I arrive home from the store. That's true, I will think to myself. What was I thinking? 'Yeah, but it says right here I like lima beans. It's on my grocery list. And grocery lists do not lie,' I will say. 'They run away, but they do not lie.'

'And what about this can of Spam?' he will ask. 'Yuck, and double yuck,' I will say. And then I will have to face the fact that I grabbed another shopper's grocery list left in my shopping cart. And I will think about the shopper who found mine and wondered why anyone would have 200 pounds of chocolate pudding on her shopping list next to a case of fat-free yogurt." Posted at 6:23 AM Central Time

Grocery shopping hints
"Purchase foods in a form that makes it easier to eat well. If you have little time for preparing foods, buy those that are ready-to-eat or ready to add to menu items/recipes. Examples might be buying the baby carrots instead of those you have to peel and cut up, buying a prepared fruit salad instead of whole fruit, or buying frozen vegetables." Posted at 7:09 AM Central Time

The Eating Habits of Our Neighbors
Though grocery store receipts are a much more common find that grocery lists, they still provide a peek into the lives of others (which is always much more interesting if it's one of your neighbors: "The other day I was working in my yard and stumbled upon a grocery receipt that clearly didn't escape from my trash bin. Yep, that's my store - the National Hills Publix - but not my foodstuffs. How fabulous - a sneak peak into the eating habits of one of my neighbors." Posted at 7:59 PM Central Time

Interview with Grocery List Collector Bill Keaggy
Hey everyone! Marty over at Ephemera, a site about "exploring the world of old paper," interviewed me about found grocery lists and my upcoming book, Milk Eggs Vodka. You can read the interview here. Posted at 6:49 AM Central Time

Our shopping trolley shame
"Does this scenario sound at all familiar? You go haring off to the supermarket because 'there's nothing to eat'. You pile your trolley satisfyingly high -- after all, who goes to the supermarket to buy three carrots and a carton of soup? You notice a couple of new lines -- something photogenic and organic looking that's bound to be terribly good for your children, so you chuck that into the trolley too." Posted at 9:47 PM Central Time

Museum of Foreign Grocery Products
"These products subtly (or not-so-subtly) illustrate the ways in which another culture is different from ours, even in basic behaviors such as food prep." Posted at 9:34 PM Central Time

Grocery Lists Don't Guarantee Healthy Choices
"The grocery lists most people jot down before going to the store can create a mental loophole for impulse food. That's because the act of remembering a variety of food choices makes people more vulnerable to slipping cookies, chips and other not-so-healthy items onto the list, a new study finds.

'The mental effort that you're using is mental effort you do not have to keep yourself in check -- controlling your desire for chocolate cake rather than fruit salad, for example,' explained lead researcher Yuval Rottenstreich, an associate professor of management at Duke University.

Rottenstreich stressed, however, that it was still smarter to head to the supermarket with a list in hand than without -- just read it back and cross out any sugary or fatty items that may have snuck in." Posted at 8:04 AM Central Time

Make a list and check it twice to cut down on visits to store
"In this day and age of costly gasoline, consolidating errand trips can have a major impact on your wallet. My family lives in the boonies and, I have to admit, this is one aspect where we falter. Too often we make unnecessary trips to town when picking up something on the way home could have helped. Making out detailed grocery lists and to-do memos in a daytimer can help you keep track of things you need to do. Here, organization is key." Posted at 9:45 PM Central Time

Grocery stores: living hell or masochist's heaven?
"Grocery shopping gives me agita. Right after I select a shopping cart I have to pop a handful of Tums. The worst is when you hit the supermarket for one item -- the egg that completes your chocolate cookies or a loaf of bread for your lasagna. 'I'll be right back,' you say to your husband...: Posted at 9:06 AM Central Time

Free books: It's the March GLC giveaway!
FREE BOOKS! | It's that time again. The first person to write in and request one of the books linked below gets it for free. Limit one per person and you must request a specific book and send me your mailing address — although we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book. Email me for a free book while they last!

Gone! Sent to Allison of Nashville, Tennessee
Absolutely Avocado | "Avocados — they're not just for salads anymore. Take your taste buds beyond the ordinary with more than 50 recipes featuring the buttery smoothness of this favorite fruit. Soothe your palate with the delicate flavors of Avocado Crab Puffs. Warm up a cold winter's night with Avocado and Almond Soup or impress your friends with your zesty Guacamole with Attitude. 24 color photos. About the Cook West Series: Savor the flavors of the West. Each book in the Cook West Series celebrates the tastes, colors, aromas, and ingredients that create the food of the American West. Home cooks and industry professionals alike will welcome these single-ingredient cookbooks into their kitchens. Each title in the Cook West Series offers 50 original recipes and helpful tips to impress, inspire, and invigorate. Western cuisine is gaining in popularity, and rightly so!" By Geraldine Duncann —Amazon.com (List price: $12.95)

Gone! Sent to Larry of Blaine, Minnesota
The Anatomy of Dessert: With a Few Notes on Wine | "When we think of dessert, our mind's eye sees cakes, pies, and pastries. Yet the truly creative palate imagines things even more tempting, decadent, and, yes, sinful. So claims Edward Bunyard in this delectable paean to the wonderful fruits of the vine, from apples and apricots to gooseberries and strawberries, from pears to the grapes that give us wine. Bunyard, a nurseryman at the turn of the last century, lovingly devotes a chapter to each fruit, sharing a heartfelt disquisition on the many types of strawberries, in which bigger is not always better; revealing how denizens of cooler and warmer climes differ in their perceptions about grapes; and asserting that 'immoderate indulgence' in melon has toppled great dynasties and changed the course of history. Bunyard even offers advice on the most delightful wine and fruit pairings, and settles once and for all the debate that has raged for nearly three millennia: Which are tastier, hothouse figs or the outdoor variety. Introduced by Michael Pollan, The Anatomy of Dessert is a cornucopia of wisdom that's never out of season. It is time again to savor this classic work, first published in 1929." By Edward Bunyard —Amazon.com (List price: $14.95) Posted at 9:18 PM Central Time